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10 most memorable American classics of 2013

December 31, 2013

Chrysler Hemi 'Cuda

Every day this week we'll be looking back at a number of memorable classic cars as the calendar rolls over to 2014, and each day will be devoted to cars from a particular country of origin. Yesterday we took a look at 10 of the most memorable classic German cars we saw this year, everything from a BMW E34 Alpina 3.5 to a DKW Junior deLuxe. Today we'll be looking back at the top classic American cars that we saw in the past 12 months.

And a couple more of our favorites:

-- Chrysler was known for dusting off the Imperial brand from time to time, when it needed a model that was a bit more upscale than others, but none of their later efforts managed to match the simple elegance of their 1960s cars. We saw this 1964 Imperial Crown Coupe back in May, when it appeared to be in good company among other Imperial models in Rhinebeck, New York. The Imperial above is one of Elwood Engel's first designs, just after Virgil Exner was forced out of the design director's chair, and some says it resembles the Lincoln Continental that Engel had a hand in designing. The cars now featured a bit of an Art Deco look, with large uninterrupted surfaces and stark chrome details. Whatever similarities the Imperial shared with the Continental, one can only manage to see one of those cars today. That's why we're glad we had a chance to see this model up close.

-- American cars of the 1950s could pull off so many paint colors that we'd wince at today, if they were applied to modern cars. But somehow their designs seemed to come alive in more adventurous colors, like the coral pink on this Chrysler New Yorker Deluxe. We saw this 1955 example owned by Bob Weiss back in June of this year, when it appeared at Greenwich Concours, and we marveled at the attention to detail that this design featured. The level of luxury and finish on the New Yorker Deluxe previewed the Chrysler letter cars that would appear soon -- this was the beginning of Chrysler's grand upmarket experiments, a great number of which paid off nicely, like the Exner/Ghia collaborations.

This Chrysler was discovered in the south of France just a couple years ago, and was airlifted to the U.S. Photo by Jay Ramey

Hudson Hornet

One of the greatest comeback stories we saw firsthand this year was undoubtedly that of the 1970 Chrysler Hemi 'Cuda. That's right, not a Plymouth, but rather a Chrysler -- one of four cars that were campaigned by Chrysler of Europe across the pond in the early 1970s. And this example just happened to be the winningest car in Group 1 Grand Prix racing of its era, gathering a total of 62 wins over four years on circuits like Monterey, Mont Ventoux, and Mont-Dore. After its racing career was over, the car retired to the south of France, which is where it was found in a barn just last year. Current owner Michael Connell had the car airlifted to the U.S., where it was expertly restored with input from Henri Chemin, the head of Chrysler of France racing in Europe in those years who saw the car compete firsthand. When we saw the car back in June, the restoration had just wrapped up a few days prior, and it looked glorious. We saw this Chrysler a few months later at Lime Rock, and its owner told us he plans to take it to as many of its old circuits as he can.

A rare Hudson Hornet in concours condition. Photo by Jay Ramey

Hupmobile

We don't get to see examples of the Hudson marque all that often, which is why is why it all the more fun to see this Hudson Hornet from 1953 this year. Elegant cars back in the day, these were built both at the Hudson plant in Detroit and at the AMC plant in Kenosha. The Hornets pioneered the use of recessed floor pan, allowing for a lower center of gravity -- something that was quite revolutionary back in the day. That's why these were popular with racers. The second-generation Hornets were nowhere as handsome, and neither was the AMC Hornet from 1970, which was the last time AMC made use of that nameplate. This Hudson is perhaps how we'll always remember the automaker.

One of the very last Hupmobiles made. Photo by Jay Ramey

Packard 400

When was the last time you saw a Hupmobile? For us it was in June of this year at Greenwich Concours, where we were delighted to come across this example from 1941. The Hupp Motor Company's offices were located less than a mile from our own office in downtown Detroit, with the company producing cars from 1909 till 1941. The Skylark itself was produced using body dies from the Cord 810/812 which was already dead by then. Just 80 examples were made during its last year on the assembly line (though assembly line may be too strong a word, as these were very impressive handmade cars). The Hupmobile's looks lived on in the designs of Lincoln cars of the 1940s. This example was brought to Greenwich by owner Andrew Zimmerman.

This Packard 400 from 1956 was in excellent condition when we saw it. Photo by Jay Ramey

Cord 812

It has been said that car companies often produce their best cars right before their deaths. This was true for Pontiac, Saturn, and (arguably) Saab, and also Packard. Even as the company was nearing dissolution, hammered by Cadillac and Buick, it was putting out amazing cars that still manage to steal the spotlight from their contemporaries. And it was because of cars like the Packard 400, a stylish and substantial coupe featuring impressive craftsmanship and more chrome than just about any car for sale in 1956. And it could pull this all off while wearing lemon yellow paint, which works marvelously here. The 400 and its Caribbean sibling managed to live on, at least in visage, in the most unexpected form -- a Russian limousine called the GAZ 13 Chaika that drew inspiration from their designs, staying in production till the 1980s. But it's spectacular examples like this one that remind us of Packard's swan song.

A rare Cord Sportsman in a stunning color. Photo by Jay Ramey

Willys Aero

Here's another classic American car that can rock lemon yellow paint, and look classier than any black Cadillac from the 1950s till, well, today. This Cord 812 Sportsman from 1937 was one of our favorite American classic cars we saw this year, and this example owned by Malcolm Pray Jr. was in spectacular condition throughout. Remembered more for their design rather than the prices they commanded during The Great Depression, the Sportsman featured a number of technical novelties, like a semi-automatic transmission, a supercharger and variable-speed windshield wipers (no small feat back in the 1930s).

The Willys Aero came in many different varieties, though it's tough to find one of these today. Photo by Jay Ramey

LaSalle Series 50

Willys-Overland may be famous for WWII-era Jeeps, but few remember their passenger car range. The Willys Aero was rather plentiful (relative to other ther Willys cars), entering production in 1952. These were quite well regarded back in the day, even though like many other cars from marques that are no longer with us, they fell victim to increased badge engineering and the race towards the bottom line among the Big Three. Willys-Overland couldn't keep up with the price politics, and the Aero and its offshoots went out of production in 1950. The end? Not quite, as the production line was shipped to Brazil, with manufacture restarting in 1960. The Aero and its offshoots stayed in production there until 1971, though you'd be hard pressed to find a nice example there now. Or anywhere else for that matter. But we found this one in upstate New York, and spent some time admiring its design.

This LaSalle sedan was one of our favorites from 2013. Photo by Jay Ramey

Muntz Jet

Examples of LaSalle cars are tough to come across today, but back in the 1930s the marque was as commonplace as Buicks (in China) are today. Which means there were a lot of them. We saw this stunning 1939 LaSalle Series 50 sedan in July, and were impressed by its clean, restrained design. LaSalle automobiles were meant to occupy a niche right below Cadillac in General Motors' brand hierarchy, and the cars themselves were built at the Cadillac plant. 1939 was the penultimate year for the marque, with GM dropping the brand in favor of concentrating on Cadillac models which were actually facing stiff competition from the lower-priced LaSalle. That's why we don't have LaSalles anymore, and that's why it was such a treat to see George Sweezey's Series 50 sedan back in July.

A rare Muntz Jet in concours condition was one of our favorites from 2013. Photo by Jay Ramey

Tuckers may get all the glory when it comes to innovative post-war cars that barely entered production, but perhaps fewer people will recall the Muntz Jet, based on the Kurtis Kraft. Just 400 of these were built before the company folded, but they featured a number of engineering novelties, such as aluminum body panels and a rigid, removable fiberglass top. Powered by Lincoln V8s, these could reach 112 mph, at a time when there were few places where one could cruise at such speeds. The design itself was so far ahead of its time that... its time never really came. All that's left of the Muntz Motor Company now are several dozen cars, including this immaculate example owned by William and Tina Sipko. This one is #146 built, and one of only a couple that we've seen in real life. An impressive and elegant design, one that still turns heads in a way that few American cars of the early 1950s can.